Did you attain your Goals for 2010?

Have you set your Goals for 2011?

Although there are many people more versed on the creating, tracking and focus of goal setting…I do believe in having and attaining goals, and I believe that those who do likewise will have a significant increase in their success. I’m going to give you my views, not as an authority on goal setting but as a person who has seen the effects having goals provides. It is my intention to help those without goals to see how important they are and to help those with, to continue in their pursuit of setting and achieving goals.

One of my favorite sales managers I’ve worked with gave the classic December “Goal setting meeting” every year and since he has passed on, I would like to dedicate this post to him.

Larry was very “New England” in nature and presented things in a “here’s the facts” manner, which made him hard for some to take and easy for those like me to understand. I say this because I believe that you need to be brutally honest with yourself when it comes to goals and know both what they are and the work needed to achieve them to have any real success as a goal setter.

To get things started, Larry would question everyone in the room as to what goals they had attained and which ones they fell short on for the current year. Next Larry would highlight a few goals of his own, both successes and failures. You see, if you hit all your goals have you really set worthy goals? I for one think anyone who tells you they have reached all their goals is either lying or doesn’t have the right goals. Balance is key to life and part of that balance should be setting goals that make you reach beyond comfort or what you know you can achieve. Sometimes that balance means falling short or even failing momentarily before dusting yourself off and starting back on your path to success.

Why do we need goals?

I’ve been to the remotest place on earth for the last 3 weeks. It was a complete escape from…well…absolutely everything. I couldn’t even communicate with Mom. No news, no phones, no cars, no business, no worries! You can’t even imagine…

WTF did I just come back to?

I want to sell the house, the car….awwww hell….I’ll just declare bankruptcy and get out of this country as fast as I can. What a miserable place the United States has become. I had to fly back into the States through Miami and as soon as I got through customs it was not the America I once knew. No happy faces, no excitement, no sense of adventure in Miami International. Yeah, airport security is rough, but this was different. I was still in vacation mode and didn’t quite put my finger on it. My layover in Charlotte multiplied these sad things I was noticing.

Then I got home. I was walking in the clouds from the most amazing experience of my life and discovered all these people who just wanted to grab my feet and pull me into their hell.

For the first time ever I want to move to a different country.

But there is another side of me that wants to see all my friends, family, and colleagues see past this temporary funk we’re in. You might be cutting back on your spending habits, you might be seeing your net worth drop, or you may even be standing in the unemployment line, but ladies and gentlemen you still have it better than most of the world. Have we forgotten about the things we take for granted?

Were you able to stand up this morning?

Were you able to have a meal or three?

Does someone else care about you?

If you can check those things off, you’re doing well.

Of course you all knew that. Motivational things don’t work on you – too many Saturday morning meetings have taken their toll. Well, here’s some other things:

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Editors

Jeff Kershner

I’m the founder of DealerRefresh. I got my start in the dealer business when I was 18. From there I've worked throughout several departments within fixed to variable ops. Whether it’s managing the desk, perfecting sales process or studying online marketing and media trends, I absolutely love this business and the challenges it brings. On top of keeping up with DealerRefresh, I consult with dealerships and key industry businesses. My passion has been and continues to be helping dealers leverage new media to sell and improve customer service.

Alex Snyder

Alex was born into the car business. His family owns a group of stores in Virginia where he held a multitude of positions since he first cut the grass there in 1989. DealerRefresh caught his attention in 2006 and he has been a part of the community ever since. In 2010 Alex joined Dealer.com to help put a dealer's spin on products; where he got a front row seat to converse with over 13,000 dealers and watch 2 acquisitions totaling over $5 Billion. Today, Alex lives in Vermont and works to make DealerRefresh amazing!